18v-20v cordless drill shopping

[RobbyMaQ]

I have a few dewalts. First one's almost 20 years now Tough as nails. As mentioned earlier, they are a good deal when sold in kits on sale (christmas usually).
Batteries are pricey... It's cheaper to buy a new drill and get 2 batteries included when on sale...

 

[churchmouse]

I have a few dewalts. First one's almost 20 years now Tough as nails. As mentioned earlier, they are a good deal when sold in kits on sale (christmas usually).
Batteries are pricey... It's cheaper to buy a new drill and get 2 batteries included when on sale...

Battery's plus has the cells for those battery's in stock. Easy re-build.

 

[sig-guy]

DeWalt

 

[Butch627]

I just went through about 3 months of research before deciding on Milwaukee 18v. I spent way too many hours online looking at customer comments and ratings, and talked to guys at several places that repair tools. These are my conclusions based on all my research. The 20v Dewalt are 5 years behind in technology compared to Makita and Milwaukee. Dewalt went to 20v as a marketing ploy. Bosch is also really lagging behind in product development. Rigid although much cheaper really isn't in the same class as Milwaukee and Makita. Milwaukee and Makita are very close in most comparisons. I picked Milwaukee for several key features and products that appealed to me but I think the product lines are close to neck and neck.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I have an Bosch 18 volt Lithium Ion drill, and it works great for me.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I've had my craftsman 19.2 for probably 10 years. On my third and fourth battery. When we were in Montana working outside in 0F weather, my craftsman kept going when the DeWalt stopped. I am not a DeWalt fan, though not much experience other than that. I think they get by on brand strength rather than product strength

 

[mtinner]

There's good and bad Dewalts, commercial and residential. Be careful to chose the right one.

 

[fst aslp]

Just throwing it out there, but I have been pretty happy with my porter cable lithiums. Yea, they hate to be cold, but i believe that is just LI batteries.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

About batteries.

In the sandbox we used NiCd batteries because the lithium ion chargers would not charge at the extreme high desert temperatures. The NiCd's would shut off too, but if we put them in the shade they would come back on and charge. Got to the point we wouldn't take lithium's out on repairs, just the NiCd's.

Another benefit of NiCd is they actually "like" to be discharged to zero. The so-called "memory effect" is erased when fully discharged. Lithium ion batteries don't have as high self-discharge rate, so they stay charged longer in stand-by, but the NiCd's have no worries storing in the fully discharged state. The lithium ion batteries should be stored charged just in case they're stored for a long time. If stored discharged for long periods they can self discharge too low and become unrecoverable.

NiCd replacements are much cheaper than lithium ion.

I'm currently using Dewalt products for the most part and really like the work site radio that uses the same batteries, but if plugged in it acts as a second charger and keeps the battery fully charged.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Just throwing it out there, but I have been pretty happy with my porter cable lithiums. Yea, they hate to be cold, but i believe that is just LI batteries.

There's a reason most extreme cold equipment (i.e. CAT in Alaska et.al) use NiCd vehicle batteries instead of lead acid. The NiCd batteries operate much better in extreme cold.

 

[looney2ns]

I have a cousin that has been a carpenter for over 30 yrs. He does lots of commercial building work.
Has a power tool of some sort in his hand most of his 8hrs per day.
He's seen and used it all given him by the companies he works for, not his choice.
Dewalt hands down wins the race all around. There are two tiers, residential and commercial. Buy the commercial tier.
Bottom place easily goes to Sears/Craftsmen.

I've taken his advice and been extremely happy with my DeWalt commercial grade tools.

 

[Crbn79]

rigid. 3 words: lifetime warranty batteries

 

[Brandon]

Another vote for dewalt li ion 20v. Fast charging and has led lights to give a little light on your project.

 

[9mmfan]

Anyone know how to tell the difference between commercial and residential Dewalt?

 

[Caleb]

Anyone know how to tell the difference between commercial and residential Dewalt?

I also want to know this...

 

[Crbn79]

Anyone know how to tell the difference between commercial and residential Dewalt?

Yes, residential DeWalts are labeled black and decker, commercial black and decker are DeWalt.
I've never seen a DeWalt called anything but contractor grade.

 

[yote hunter]

There is only two words you really need to know "PORTER CABLE" .... You can't go wrong !

 

[Crbn79]

There is only two words you really need to know "PORTER CABLE" .... You can't go wrong !

That very well could be the answer. To be honest, it all depends on what you want to do. If you're going to put up a couple shelves each year and let it collect dust, just grab a cheap drill that does what you want. Why pay $500 for a deWalt or Rigid set for that purpose?

 

[CampingJosh]

The best 18v stuff is the Milwaukee with brushless motors and lithium ion batteries. Everything will move that direction soon.

But be sure that you need 18v. The 12v stuff has really improved over the last few years, and it's now usually adequate for household use.

 

[Crbn79]

The best 18v stuff is the Milwaukee with brushless motors and lithium ion batteries. Everything will move that direction soon.

But be sure that you need 18v. The 12v stuff has really improved over the last few years, and it's now usually adequate for household use.

Each manufacture makes a brushless line. They cost more to produce and are more complex, with that in mind I think they will continue to make brush motors for many years.